Alberta energy minister demoted 01/17/2010
Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach has caved in to industry pressure and his government's freefall in the latest opinion polls by dumping Energy Minister Mel Knight in a major cabinet house-cleaning Jan. 13....

Canada's upstream on upswing; '09 drilling licenses down 47% 01/17/2010
With Canadian government land sales slumping to a 17-year low and average natural gas prices at their lowest point in the past decade, it was no surprise that cash-squeezed producers slashed their dri...

Canadian companies weeding out the weak 01/10/2010
New decade launched with flurry of MandA action as Suncor offloads unwanted Petro-Canada assets, PetroBakken adds tech-driver plays
Canadian-based companies have added early sizzle to the 2010 mergers and acquisitions market, led by Suncor Energy's swift action to weed out what Chief Executive Officer Rick George rates as weaker,...

Industry revival on Canada's horizon 01/03/2010
Firming of commodity prices points to resumption of oil sands growth; natural gas expected to remain weak; consolidation predicted
One of the strongest oil patch forecasts for 2010 has come from a leading Canadian law firm, which is counting on an industry revival as commodity prices strengthen, opening up the investment taps in...

Alberta heeds wake-up call 12/27/2009
Province's premier agrees royalty changes are needed to counter the potential loss of C$4 billion from shale gas 'game changer'
Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach has promised more changes to his government's unpopular royalty framework, which has been tinkered with over the past two years amid a rapid erosion of upstream investment....

Enbridge warns of possible pipeline over-capacity 12/27/2009
Between TransCanada and Enbridge - Canada's two biggest energy pipeline companies - there's seldom a meeting of the minds. From the time they got caught up squabbling over rights to ship Alaska North...

Testing big leagues with new technology 12/13/2009
Juniors bring talent to table, advancing 'next big thing' in Alberta oil sands by embarking on pilot projects in carbonate rocks
Investment banker Tristone Capital (now Macquarie Capital) observed last year that the Alberta oil sands region covers an area the size of Florida. Thus, it suggested, a chunk equivalent to Disneywor...

Alberta's chance to 'get it right' 12/06/2009
Government to release interim findings of competitiveness review; industry leaders say results key to business, government future
Aware, after more than two years of meddling with its oil and natural gas royalties, that it has lost the confidence of industry and investors, the Alberta government has one last chance to "get it ri...

Mining News: Fortune chooses Saskatoon for refinery 11/22/2009
Junior agrees to purchase land in Saskatchewan to process ore mined at the Nico polymetallic project in Northwest Territories
Fortune Minerals Ltd. has identified a site in Saskatchewan for a processing facility for its Nico Project located 160 kilometers, or 99 miles, northwest of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The jun...

Saskatchewan a deal-making hot spot 11/15/2009
Outside of British Columbia's sizzling tight and shale gas prospects, the hottest piece of oil patch real estate in Canada these days is southern Saskatchewan, led by the Bakken oil field. It's the sc...

Canada's GHG plans: Where the buck stops 11/08/2009
Provinces respond sharply to case made by study that greenhouse gas reduction goals would be met by transferring wealth regionally
Leaders of Western Canada's petroleum-fueled provinces and the Canadian government have wasted no time shredding the most detailed estimate yet of how much it will cost to meet climate-change targets....

Mining Explorers 2009: Alix explores two new gold projects 11/01/2009
Junior's geologists investigate properties in Goodpaster, White districts
Alix Resources Corp. geologists spent the summer investigating the junior's two new gold properties in Alaska and the Yukon Territory. Joining the 2009 gold rush to the White District south of Dawson...

Mining Explorers 2009: Discovering Nunavut: 10 years of growth and opportunities ahead 11/01/2009
Nunavut was created on April 1, 1999. The new territory and the public government, in which I am proud to be the Minister of Mines, was created as part of the largest aboriginal land claims settlement...

Koreans stun Canadian oil patch 11/01/2009
State-run KNOC offers premium for Harvest Energy Trust holdings in search for energy security; bolsters chances of new sands market
South Korea's state-run Korea National Oil Corp. has taken a headlong plunge into Canada's energy sector in a highly complex move that is causing widespread head scratching within the industry. The mo...

B.C. hits land sale homerun in October 11/01/2009
British Columbia has put a decisive end to Western Canada's dismal land sales year, raking in C$370 million from its October auction, with bidders showing strong interest in the well-established Montn...

Rising from Canada's upstream EandP ashes 11/01/2009
2009 drilling heads for 17-year low; regulators see some turnaround in permit applications; CAPP expects modest upturn in spending
Amid the wreckage there are a few pieces of hope in Canada's upstream, mostly pointing to a partial recovery in 2010. With drilling currently headed for its lowest point in 17 years, regulators have s...

B.C. lifts lid on new gas play 10/25/2009
Government discloses 'sleeping dog' in Liard basin, west of Horn River, Montney plays; operators tight-lipped about plans, results
It's in a hush-hush mode right now, but EandP companies in British Columbia could be quietly extending the province's gas hot spot beyond the Montney and Horn River formations. One of the first public h...

Canadian trusts face 'brave new world' 10/25/2009
NAL sets standard with 4 deals in recent months as it bulks up prior to joining corporate world once trusts lose tax-free shelters
NAL Oil and Gas Trust is rapidly becoming a leader among Canada's trusts as it settles on a future strategy with barely one year left before losing its tax-free status. It struck an agreement Oct. 13 to...

Activists seize oil sands spotlight 10/18/2009
That rumbling sound in northern Alberta comes from the oil sands, where even a lull in the once-frenetic rate of growth does not mean a total time out. Far from it. Greenpeace activists invaded Sunco...

Letting the good times roll 10/18/2009
Gains in drilling, completion technology improve economics of B.C.'s Horn River, Montney plays; province hopes for strong winter
The revving up of activity in British Columbia Horn River and Montney-Doig gas formations, which the provincial government is hoping will result in a benchmark winter drilling season, has seized the a...

Mining News: Recession drives miners into mergers 08/30/2009
Tough economic conditions precipitate flurry of consolidation among majors, juniors that do business in Alaska, Northwest Canada
The recession is taking its toll among mining companies with properties in Alaska and northwestern Canada as mergers and acquisitions surged in this sector during the second quarter, in step with a gl...

Mining News: Junior clears obstacles to Nico Project 08/30/2009
Fortune opts to move hydrometallurgical process to southern Canada; completes dismantling mine buildings, equipment in Ontario
Fortune Minerals Ltd. is taking the lemons it has encountered in developing the Nico Project in Northwest Territories and making lemonade. The London, Ont.-based junior recently reported substantial p...

Canadian merger and acquisitions heat up 08/30/2009
Crescent Point Energy follows PetroBakken deal, chases takeovers to remain powerhouse in Saskatchewan extension of Williston basin
The dam holding back mergers and acquisitions in Canada has finally burst, led by Crescent Point Energy, which is determined not to give up its premier role in the rapidly emerging oil plays of southe...

MAPLE LEAFS: Upstream headed for tough times 08/23/2009
Canada's upstream oil and gas sector is headed in one clear direction – down. Government land sales, well completions and new well permits are posting significant declines. For the first half of Augus...

Eyeing NAFTA carbon scheme 08/23/2009
The leaders of the United States, Canada and Mexico are taking North America down the path to a carbon market, gathering some reluctant support in the process. President Barack Obama, Prime Minister S...